--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because a book is a life, like one man is…" description: "\"“Because a book is a life, like one man is a life.”\" — Studs Terkel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/studs-terkel-3020_book_because-a-book-is-a-life-like-one-man-is_2119236.jpg" --- # Because a book is a life, like one man is a life. ![“Because a book is a life, like one man is a life.” quote by Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/studs-terkel-3020_book_because-a-book-is-a-life-like-one-man-is_2119236.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/studs-terkel-3020_book_because-a-book-is-a-life-like-one-man-is_2119236.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/studs-terkel-3020_book_because-a-book-is-a-life-like-one-man-is_2119236.jpg) > ““Because a book is a life, like one man is a life.”” [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Equates a book to a life, implying each person’s story is a unique narrative. **In simple terms:** Books are like lives, each a distinct story. Key Takeaway Value each person’s unique experience. Themes literature identity storytelling Mood thoughtful educational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - writing workshops - personal development Key Concepts Narrative theory human experience Questions to Reflect On - How does reading shape your view of others? - What stories define you? A Different Perspective Assuming all lives are comparable may oversimplify diversity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-life/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-like/) [Like Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-man/) [Man Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-life/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [Anyone doesn't teach you much more quickly as the book of life,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/anyone-doesn-t-teach-you-much-more-quickly-as-the-book-of-life/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [He said that whether a man's life was writ in a book someplace or whether it took its form day by day was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-said-that-whether-a-man-s-life-was-writ-in-a-book-someplace-or/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [A new chapter in my Book of Life I will do my best to colour each page with love, happiness, presence, compassion and trust.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/a-new-chapter-in-my-book-of-life-i-will-do-my-best-to-colour-each/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [Sometimes you just have to turn the page to realize theres more to your book of life than the page youre stuck on. Stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-you-just-have-to-turn-the-page-to-realize-theres-more-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [By the time I was writing the second book, my life had changed rather dramatically, thanks to the intervention of television, and I needed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/by-the-time-i-was-writing-the-second-book-my-life-had-changed-rather/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [I remember once asking Grandma about a book she was reading, a biography of Abraham Lincoln, and how she answered me: this was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-remember-once-asking-grandma-about-a-book-she-was-reading-a/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [In Iceland, book lives matter in every sense of that phrase: The shelf-life of the book, the lives in the book, the life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallgr-mur-helgason/in-iceland-book-lives-matter-in-every-sense-of-that-phrase-the-shelf/) [Hallgrimur Helgason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallgr-mur-helgason/) > [“Private life, book life, took place where words met imagination without passing through the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/private-life-book-life-took-place-where-words-met-imagination-without/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Women who were housewives, who were pretty miserable ... felt inspired by her book and their life changed. 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Each unpack has a strange But did you know the form of my story? ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-delos-angeles/in-the-book-of-life-each-story-is-essential-each-unpack-has-a-strange/) [Innah Delos Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-delos-angeles/) > [“Your life is like a book you decide what to write on it or erase from it; But you might not be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/topsy-gift/your-life-is-like-a-book-you-decide-what-to-write-on-it-or-erase-from/) [Topsy Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/topsy-gift/) > [I often like to think that our map of the world is wrong, that where we have centered physics, we should actually place literature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/i-often-like-to-think-that-our-map-of-the-world-is-wrong-that-where/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [In the Book of Life, The answers aren't in the back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-book-of-life-the-answers-aren-t-in-the-back/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In my family, a book can be a life raft.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/in-my-family-a-book-can-be-a-life-raft/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## More by Studs Terkel > [My epitaph? My epitaph will be, 'Curiosity did not kill this cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/my-epitaph-my-epitaph-will-be-curiosity-did-not-kill-this-cat/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“It was in ’35—we had this campaign to raise a million tax dollars. In the town of Phillips, one evening, during a blizzard, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/it-was-in-35-we-had-this-campaign-to-raise-a-million-tax-dollars-in/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I read somewhere that when a person takes part in community action, his health improves. Something happens to him or to her biologically. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-read-somewhere-that-when-a-person-takes-part-in-community-action/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Don't be an examiner, be the interested inquirer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/don-t-be-an-examiner-be-the-interested-inquirer/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Hope never trickles down. It always springs up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/hope-never-trickles-down-it-always-springs-up/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I never drove a car. I'm hopeless that way. I press the wrong buttons on the tape recorder. But if the person I'm interviewing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-never-drove-a-car-i-m-hopeless-that-way-i-press-the-wrong-buttons/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [To survive the day is triumph enough for the walking wounded among the great many of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/to-survive-the-day-is-triumph-enough-for-the-walking-wounded-among/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“I’ll never forget that Depression Easter Sunday. Our son was four years old. I bought ten or fifteen cents’ worth of eggs. You didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-ll-never-forget-that-depression-easter-sunday-our-son-was-four/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [All you need in life is truth and beauty and you can find both at the Public Library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/all-you-need-in-life-is-truth-and-beauty-and-you-can-find-both-at-the/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [Reading a book should not be a passive exercise, but rather a raucous conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/reading-a-book-should-not-be-a-passive-exercise-but-rather-a-raucous/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I hope for peace and sanity - it's the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-hope-for-peace-and-sanity-it-s-the-same-thing/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“The total cost of the Federal Arts Project was only $23 million. Many of these paintings, sculptures and prints were given to museums, courthouses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/the-total-cost-of-the-federal-arts-project-was-only-23-million-many/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [I find labels "liberal" and "conservative" of little meaning. Our language has become perverted along with the thoughts of many of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/i-find-labels-liberal-and-conservative-of-little-meaning-our-language/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [“Who knows Bob’s name in this outfit—let alone his lame child’s? (“The last place I worked for, I was let go,” recalls the bank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/who-knows-bob-s-name-in-this-outfit-let-alone-his-lame-child-s-the/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) > [The trouble with censorship is that once it starts it is hard to stop. Just about every book contains something that someone objects to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/the-trouble-with-censorship-is-that-once-it-starts-it-is-hard-to-stop/) [Studs Terkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) [Explore all 142 Studs Terkel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Because a book is a life, like one man is a life.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Studs Terkel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/because-a-book-is-a-life-like-one-man-is-a-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/because-a-book-is-a-life-like-one-man-is-a-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/studs-terkel-3020_book_because-a-book-is-a-life-like-one-man-is_2119236.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/studs-terkel-3020_book_because-a-book-is-a-life-like-one-man-is_2119236.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac0/studs-terkel-3020_book_because-a-book-is-a-life-like-one-man-is_2119236.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Because a book is a life, like one man is a life.” — Studs Terkel", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Studs Terkel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/studs-terkel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Because a book is a life,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/because-a-book-is-a-life-like-one-man-is-a-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/studs-terkel/because-a-book-is-a-life-like-one-man-is-a-life/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```